Most clouds are formed by ocean evaporation

Science in the Bible.By B. WalkerIt has only recently been learned that most clouds are formed by ocean evaporation, but again the Bible had it right centuries ago: "All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place from which the rivers come, there they return again (NKJ, Eccl 1:7)".

Water in the Air Rain is a form of precipitation in which water falls back to earth as a liquid. Precipitation that occurs in a solid form is snow or hail. There is always some water in the air, but the amount of water the air can hold depends mostly on temperature. Very warm air can contain more water than cooler air. Sudden drops in temperature can force water to fall, or precipitate, out of the air. In fact, this happens every morning when the cooler night air loses some of its moisture as dew. The Water Cycle Water moves on the earth in a great cycle. The water that falls as rain comes mainly from oceans, but also to a lesser extent from lakes and rivers. Heat from the sun causes water to evaporate, that is, to change phase and become a vapor. The water vapor rises and, as it does, reaches a level in the atmosphere where the temperature is cool enough for it to change back into a liquid. The change of phase from vapor to liquid is called condensation -- the exact same process that causes steam from a hot shower to fog up a cold mirror.

Water condenses in the air in tiny droplets about 1/100 of a millimeter in diameter, so small they remain aloft as clouds. Usually for rain drops to form there must also be small solid particles suspended in the air. If there air, the water droplets collect around these particles, growing larger and larger. When they are too heavy to remain in the sky, they fall back to earth as rain. The water then runs into lakes, rivers and ultimately the ocean, completing the water cycle